Is plastic surgery right for you?

Jan 4, 2012, 6 a.m.

View the Pros and Cons of Plastic Surgery By Focus

In its ideal purpose, plastic surgery focuses on the repair, replacement, and reconstruction of defective, injured, or missing body parts. This type of physical restoration often extends far beyond mere surface-related surgery. Getting plastic surgery may entail restructure or replacement of the underlying anatomic systems. On the other hand, it may be limited to less intrusive cosmetic modifications.

When considering the pros and cons of plastic surgery, you must balance risk against purpose. Non-essential cosmetic tweaks lack the importance of practical corrections that focus on the functionality of the associated body components. Rectification of the oral pharynx, the extremities, the caniofacial structure, and the trunk may present a need that far exceeds any associated risk factors.

The risks associated with cosmetic surgery should be counted heavily against the pros of the procedures. This article addresses the pros and cons of plastic surgery in six areas that are dominated by the demands of patients over 55 years of age.

Zoom In On Cosmetic Surgery and the Associated Factors of Benefits Versus Risks

Using the 2010 Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), current statistics define six areas of cosmetic plastic surgery in which patients over 55 years of age dominated the demand:

Dermabrasion 40%

Eyelid surgery 48%

Facelift 66%

Forehead lift 55%

Hair transplantation 60%

Lip augmentation 47%

As with any form of surgery that requires anesthesia there is a risk of negative reactions to the medication itself. Each of the following types of cosmetic surgery requires the use of anesthesia. Be sure to address this issue above all others.

Benefits of Dermabrasion include:

Clears up and removes acne scars

Helps reduce wrinkles

Improves skin texture and enhances definition of contours.

Risks include:

Possible scarring

Swelling, redness, and irritation of the skin

Scabs

Skin discoloration.

Benefits of eyelid surgery:

Improves physical appearance

Removes excessive skin

Eliminates sagging eyelids

Function improvements in vision

Risks include:

Swelling, dryness, or burning

Blurred vision

Infection

Excessive tearing

Drooping of the lower eyelid

Retinal detachment

Impaired vision.

Benefits of Facelift:

Effectively sheds years from your appearance

Virtually undetectable scarring

Typically safe.

Risks include:

Bad scarring

Infection

Imperfect results.

Benefits of Forehead lift:

Reduces prominent transverse lines across the forehead

Eliminates vertical lines between the eyebrows

Relieves drooping brows

Eliminates appearance of tiredness

Improves general physical appearance.

Risks include:

Possible nerve damage

Scars related to the length of the incision

Loss of hair follicles

Several weeks of numbness, discomfort, and itchiness

Benefits of Hair Transplantation:

Improves personal appearance

Increases your self esteem

Restores a sense of youthfulness

Risks Include:

Possibility for infections

Some failure in the survival of the transplanted hair

Post-surgical pain

Some scabbing

Benefits of Lip Augmentation:

Increases self-esteem

Improves facial balance between eyes, cheeks, nose, and lips

Enhances youthful appeal

Permanent to semi-permanent results.

Risks Include:

Bruising, bleeding, and swelling

Possibility of infection or allergic reactions

Hardening of the implant materials.

Each area has an associated risk factor. No one but you can really judge the value of getting plastic surgery for any specific problem or concern.